Scenic TownshipSD
This town of 58 people was settled in 1907.
Is Scenic Township a good place to live?
23% of residents live below the poverty line in Scenic Township, above both South Dakota’s towns (9.5%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 36 in South Dakota we compare has a lower median household income than Scenic Township. 37% of the land in Scenic Township is conserved, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 3.3% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest park or preserve is Buffalo Gap National Grassland, at 15,966 acres. Scenic Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
58 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Badlands National Park and 5 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Scenic Township. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town National ParkBadlands National Park1.1M visitors a year
28 mi National Historic SiteMinuteman Missile National Historic Site102K visitors a year
40 mi Stadium & arenaRushmore Plaza Civic Center
35 mi MuseumSouth Dakota Air and Space Museum
39 mi Zoo & aquariumReptile Gardens
40 mi GardenThe Journey Museum and Gardens80K visitors a yearPhoto credits
Badlands National Park: Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Minuteman Missile National Historic Site: Spencer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rushmore Plaza Civic Center: Mr. Satterly, WTFPL · South Dakota Air and Space Museum: User:Jaydec, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Reptile Gardens: Mark Goebel from Taos, New Mexico, USA, CC BY 2.0 · The Journey Museum and Gardens: Tbennert, CC BY-SA 3.0
.jpg){kind=link}
Moving to Scenic Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Scenic Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Scenic Township.
Scenic Township keeps nearly a third of its land conserved
5.7 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Buffalo Gap National Grassland | — | 15,966 |
| 2. Badlands National Park | — | 14,301 |
| 3. Badlands Wilderness | — | 7,528 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards: high risk in Scenic Township, mostly inland flooding
The natural-hazard score from FEMA in Scenic Township is 74 of 100. FEMA puts 52% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 15% to wildfires. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2013.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Scenic Township
Only 3 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a higher midsummer high than Scenic Township. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 13° and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Scenic Township stands out in South Dakota and nationally, with more of its adults who smoke cigarettes
Only one of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare has a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Scenic Township. For adults here, the share who get no exercise outside work is 28%. Among adults locally, 19% report frequent mental distress and 15% report frequent physical distress.
| Scenic Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 76% | 79% |
| What stands out | Scenic Township | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 12.5% | 8.8% |
| More smokers | 21.1% | 15.2% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 23% | 17.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Scenic Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Scenic Township; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Scenic Township residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
About Scenic Township
Unincorporated community in South Dakota, United States
Scenic is an unincorporated community in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is located within Scenic Township, which had a 2010 census population of 58 inhabitants. The community is located adjacent to the Badlands National Park, about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Rapid City, or about one hour by car, along Highway 44.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 134 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,900 ft
- ZIP code
- 57780
Questions about Scenic Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Scenic Township, SD a good place to live?
Scenic Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.